Barzani demands alternative to referendum be presented within three days

Iraq's Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani said on Tuesday that Erbil's union with Baghdad has come to an end.

The president called for Iraq and the Iraqi Kurdistan region to be kind neighbors instead.

During a ceremony held in the Iraqi district of Soran to support the independence referendum, Barzani said that there no other solution than to go through with the referendum.

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The president made this statement after dismissing the possibility of a real alternative.

Barzani demanded that an alternative to the referendum – with insurance that a guarantee is provided in response to its postponement – be presented within three days.

According to the Iraqi constitution, the Kurds have a right to hold the referendum, Barzani said. He also stressed that the region refuses to withdraw to the “green line” Baghdad demands.

Barzani called on those whom he referred to as friends, to not address the region in a threatening manner. “We will not accept threats from anyone,” he added.

The president made it clear that Baghdad’s decisions will no longer concern the region. This is particularly because every decision the Iraqi parliament has taken, was against the region.

Barzani noted that if an alternative which secures the rights of the Kurds is put forth, the region will organize mass celebrations on the day of the referendum, September 25.